Jake Hughes
The Paw Print
Throughout the ages men and women have sought after superiority and titles about certain characteristics they hold and of course, today is no exception. Some women will say they do all the shopping, while some men will say they are the entertainer out of the couple or family. Well, I bring to you today a new argument, one that proposes that men actually talk more than women.
Now, I know some of you are already in total uproar about this-knowing some of the female chatter boxes I know- and some are in complete agreement. Stereotypically, women are said to be the ones who don’t stop talking as we may know some proverbs like “A woman’s tongue wags like a lamb’s tail” or “The North Sea will sooner be found wanting in water than a woman be at a loss for a word.” Both very entertaining and comical proverbs if you ask me.
Historically woman have been shunned and punished for talking too much or informally which has resulted in the institutionalized corporate punishment of women. This corporate punishment could be the result of such research and analysis into the controversial subject that women speak more than men, when however, countless studies has shown that men actually speak more than women in several different instances.
Numerous studies have shown that in meetings, in mixed-group discussions and in classrooms males have shown to speak out more than females. They typically ask the first question in a class room or lecture environment; also, when males do talk they tend to speak longer than their female counterpart.
In an article by Deborah Tannen, she explains “why men and women often talk past each other in a host of everyday situations.” Tannen states that men and women often speak on different wave lengths that sometimes are not compatible. Stereotypically, the American home is an icon that involves a quiet man and a talkative woman. Which relates to what Tannen is saying how communication at home between the sexes is the complete opposite, with the woman doing all the talking and the man a mute. Furthermore, this interaction between the genders reinforces the stereotype that women talk more than men.
According to Tannan there are two different communication models in terms of how men and women communicate. Rapport-Talk is one model; this model expresses how women are said to talk. Women tend to talk about similarities and experiences they share with people they are more comfortable with like family and friends. The other model is Report-Talk; a model that is expresses how men are said to talk. The name says it all really; men like to engage in more of a reporter talk that expresses a concern or idea. Men don’t mind talking in big groups and tend to be more comfortable talking to strangers. Men like to show their qualities, knowledge, and skills. Men also like to tell more jokes and share more stories. Again, reinforcing my argument that men speak out more consistently and comfortably than females.
However we see it, whether we agree or not, men and women are two different creatures that both possess different characteristics and traits, but one thing is for sure: we both need each other. I want to leave you with a quote I personally like:
“Men are what their mothers made them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson”
What’s Been Said…